Underwater salvage device



y 1936- E. J. ROMANO 2,040,955

UNDERWATER SALVAGE DEV I CE Filed March 27, 1955 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,f i v I; 1 44 lfli [S: l l I y 9, 1936. E. J. ROMANO 2,040,956

UNDERWATER SALVAGE DEVI CE Filed March 27, 1933 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 5* p INVENTOR EUGENE cl ROMA v ATI9 N Y5 m 1936' E. J. ROMANO 2,040,956

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I UNDERWATER SALVAGE DEVICE Filed March 27, 1955 7 Sheets-$het s INVENTOR fi'uezgz' c1. PoMmvo IQRN W Patented May 19, 1936 UNITED STATES UNDERWATER SALVAGE DEVICE Eugene J. Romano, Seattle, Wash; Lula Romano tratrix of said Eugene J. Romano,

Application March 27, 1933, Serial No. 663,029

9 Claims.

My present invention relates to the art of underwater salvaging and more particularly to an underwater salvage device.

The great wealth represented in sunken boats and the like in the ocean, at greater depths than the ordinary diver can descend, has prompted the development of many devices to aid in underwater salvage. My device is of this general class. It is characterized however by being so arranged in that an operator can descend hundreds of feet below the surface of the water and by means of control arrangements manipulate two or more arms in a manner which makes it possible to execute any maneuver that could normally be 1.; done by the two arms of an individual. The method of supporting and maneuvering my salvage device has been gone into in some detail in my co-pending application entitled "Maneuvering means for underwater salvage equipment 20 Serial Number 663,030 flied March 27, 1933 has all the characteristics of the various diving bells which have been designed and constructed to permit an observer descending to great depths to assist in directing salvage operations, and in addition is provided with the mechanical arms which because of their unusual construction have proven to be of great value.

The principal object of my present invention is therefore to provide means in addition to a 30 diving arrangement whereby salvage operations can actually be conducted by the observer.

A further object is the provision of means whereby the mechanical arms of my diving device can be operated in the same manner as the arms 35 of an individual.

A. further object is the provision of means whereby the power applied to the arms of my device can be so increased that the device can be used to handle the heavy cables and chains,

40 lift heavy objects and the like which marine salvage requires.

Other and more specific objects will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my device showing both arms in their extended position.

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing both arms 50 in a partially folded position.

Figure 3 is a vertical elevation in section showing elements of my control mechanism.

Figure 4 is a view similar in part to Figure 3 but taken at right angles to that view.

55 Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing in sectional elevation the control means for one of my mechanical arms.

Figures 6 and 7 are enlarged fragmentary views showing further control means of; the mechanical arms. 5

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view partly in section showing the outward end of one of my mechanical arms.

Figure 9 is a plan view partially in section of the inner of the same mechanical arm." 10

Figure 10 is a side elevation of a portion of Figure 8.

Figure 11 is an end view of the mechanical arm showing one form of attachment for use thereon.

Figure 12 shows, in modified form, the inner 15 end of one of the mechanical arms.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference characters indicate like parts, ll designates the main body of my diving chamber. This I normally prefer to form as a casting because of the irregular shape which conditions require and it is rather essential that the material from which this casting is made be somewhat malleable. In case the bell should accidentally be dropped short distances under water or meet with a very sharp blow from any source it is desirable that the shell will bend rather than crack because even every small crack at the lower levels, where the water pressure is tremendous, would be disastrous for the operator. I have found cast steel, providing it is of close grain, a very desirable metal. Some of the bronzes or" brasses might be very satisfactory also. It is desirable to provide the bell of suilicient size that one or more operators can conveniently move around in the same as there are a large number of controls and it is rather essential that the operator have a certain degree of comfort in that he may out of necessity be required to stay under water for several hours at a stretch. Air must of necessity be supplied to the operator. This can be handled in any of the well known ways and as it forms no particular part of my present invention I do not believe it will be necessary to go into detail in this matter. No matter what form of supply is provided it is very desirable to, in I addition, supply the bell with an available supply of oxygen and some device for the absorption of carbon dioxide asconditioner Hi. This equipment is well known in submarine work however.

The diving chamber is normally supported by a rather heavy cable l6 attached to the bell usually by means of the ring I! which in turn is secured to the bell by a plurality of welded on straps l8. This cable should be of sumcient strength to not only support the buoy at all times but to support the buoy if the arms are engaged with some device it is desired to salvage and further should have additional strength in that if the maneuvering cable 20 should be come entangled or if the air supply or telephone and electric cable become entangled that there will be sufiicient strength in the hoisting cable to break the other lines and make it possible to hoist the chamber to the surface. I

The diving chamber can further be provided with a plurality of heavy glass port lights as 2|, disposed in various positions around the bell at a height and in positions where the operator or operators will have clear vision of the work they are undertaking. As a means of exit and entry into the bell I provide the manhole cover arrangement at 22. This is preferably of the type that seats from the outside on a gasket so that the pressure over this relatively large surface will tend only to make the sealing of this opening more secure. Any desired form of fastening may be used. I have indicated the usual cross bar and bolt arrangement quite common in manholes on boilers and the like. The various items enumerated are more or less common in diving bell arrangements. It is believed that possibly the principal novelty of this present application resides in the most unusual and efiicient construction of the maneuvering arms designated generally by 23 and 24.

A general idea of this construction will be most easily understood from Figures 1 and 2 as supplemented by the details used of Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11 and the various large sectional views. The arms are pivotally supported as on shafts 26. I normally prefer that these shafts be horizontally disposed with reference to the bell although there is nothing. to prevent placing them in a vertical or angled position. Merely a matter of simplification of the control arrangement favors the horizontal position. The arm construction will probably be bestand most clearly disclosed in Figures 8, 9 and 10. Encircling shaft 28 which is additionally supported by the outboard bearing 28 is a hollow shaft as 29. This hollow shaft 29 should be rather carefully machined to provide a journal on shaft 2.8 to the end that it will cooperate with shaft 28 in supporting the arm about the axis of shaft 26. The two side members 30 and 31 support the arm and guide it as it revolves about the axis of shaft 26. The actual movement of the arm however is provided by fixedly securing side frame 30 to the hollow shaft 29. This then places the movement of the arm under control of shaft 25. Shaft 20 has fixedly secured to it an operating lever 33 which in turn is under control of the hydraulic cylinder 35. This cylinder may be provided with bydraulic pressure from any source. However, it has been found most convenient to use amanual pump. as 36 which is energized by the hand lever 31. With such an arrangement as this, which is really a hydraulic jack, it is possible to place tremendous loads upon the arms in the outwardly or extended positions yet have it under easy and positive control at all times. I have indicated set screws as providing the attachment between the side frame member and the operating lever and the hollow shaft 28. Actually this attachment should not rest upon set screws, they should be brazed or welded in place preferably. All the way thru the construction of this machine it must be borne in mind that it is imperative that there be no leakage at any point, which the extremely high pressures encountered would soon find. To this end the hollow shaft 29 should be provided with a packing gland as I have indicated at 38. v

The movement just explained is comparable in the human arm to the shoulder movement. Then it is desirable to have a movement similar to the elbow movement. This is provided at 40 where a yoke fitting 42 engages an elbow pivot pin 43 upon which the outward portion of the arm is free to revolve, under control only of the bevel gear arrangement 44 and 45. Gear 45 which I normally prefer to have larger than the driving pinion 44, is fixedly secured to at least one of the side members of the outer arm portion as 48.

The outer end memberis controlled about pin 43 by means of the pinion gear 44 which is fixedly 1 secured to shaft 48 and which in turn has fixedly secured to it the bevel gear 50. This gear is in mesh with and is operated by gear 5| which in turn is fixedly secured to shaft 26. Now it often devolves upon this mechanism to hold the entire 1 weight, not only of the outer arm member but also any weight that it may have picked up. As

a result it is necessary to provide operating means' which will give the operator every mechanical :25 advantage possible without unduly complicating 1 the mechanism. This is attained by means of the hand lever 52 which is pivotally supported on i i 1 shaft 26 and has the two way dog arrangement 30 53. This may be set to move the shaft either direction and this operation is completed by means of locking spring 54 which is provided with two positions for engagement of the outstanding lug of the dog member 52. One position is indicated at 55, the other as 51. Any form of double acting dog arrangement would be useable I in this instance, altho the toggle arrangement I shown has proven very satisfactory. Now it must V a latch as 60 whichis pivotably supported to a fixed pivot and is operated thru the control rod Si by the foot lever 82. A tension spring as 63 is found desirable to keep latch 60 at all times in mesh with the ratchet gear 64 which is fixedly secured to shaft 28, it being apparent it is believed from Figure 6, that the dog or latch will always be engaged except when pressure is applied to foot lever 62. In this way the operator has complete control of this movement of the arms under action of one hand and one foot. I have described but one mechanism for each arm. It will be clear it is believed that this equipment must be duplicated for each arm.

Now, it must be understood that the exact details of construction in a design of this character must necessarily follow the conditions under which the device is to be used. I have shown in Figures 1 and 2 that the arms, while substantially the same, have the pivot pin 43 disposed in opposite planes. This is very desirable in that it gives a more complete control and it permits almost any movement required of the arm. There are times however, when it may be desirable to tie knots and the like with this equipment andunder such conditions it is found that the limiting of the movement of the arm about its longitudinal axis is somewhat objectionable. To overcome this feature I have provided a slight modification of my device.

The modification is shown in Figure 1 and Figure 12, Figure 1 showing the general view and Figure 12 showing the details of construction. This arrangement follows very closely that described and shown in Figure 9 with the added feature however, that a second hollow shaft as 81 encircles shaft 28 and this is fixedly secured to a beveled gear 68 which meshes and drives in turn bevel gear 69. This revolves shaft -10 and in turn pinion H which is secured thereto. Suitable bearings are provided for shaft 10 which are fixedly secured to the inner arm portion. Gear H is adapted to engage in driving relationship the spur gear I2 which is fixedly secured to the yolk member 13 which is similar in many respects to the yoke member 42. With this arrangement it will be apparent that the outer end of the arm can be revolved about its longitudinal axis as may be desired. It would necessarily be desirable to have a lockable operating means similar to that described for shaft 26.

In this modified form hollow shaft 6'! must carry the load of and serve all functions of shaft 26 of Figure 9 so that the solid shaft 26 can serve this modified purpose.

It has been found that for such mechanical arms to be of real value they must be capable I of grasping very securely any weight that the arrangement can lift and further that that engagement or release should be capable of rather quick operation. the two jaw members and 18 which should have notches or teeth which will best adapt them to the type of work in mind. These members are pivotably supported at H and I8 on pivots ill which are in turn secured to the arm housing-proper. Each jaw member has cut on it a segment of the gear which meshes together so that any movement of one of the jaw members will be transmitted in equal amount to the other. Each jaw member has a rearwardly extending arm as 19 and 80 which terminates with a bifurcation adapted to receive the ground rollers as 82 and 83 respectively. These rollers are suitably journaled on pins secured in the arm 19 and 80. Adapted to engage the grooved rollers is a V-shaped cam member 84 which is mounted for reciprocating movement along the axis of the arm. Secured to the V-shaped cam member by suitable adjustable means is the piston rod 85 which at its opposite end is connected to the piston member 86. To prevent unnecessary machine work I provide a cylinder proper as 81 in which the piston reciprocates. A large coil spring as 88 is provided to normally urge the piston to the inner limit of the cylinder and a stop is provided as 90 to limit the inward movement. As shown in Figure 8 it may appear that the outward end of the cylinder housing is entirely closed which is not true as is more clearly illustrated in Figure 10 in which the supporting strap 9| is shown to be of a width considerably less than the width of the cylindrical arm member 92. This provides for the easy ingress of water at this point so that at all times, up against the inner end of the piston, will be the normal hydro-static pressure corresponding to the depth the bell is lowered to.

Power to operate piston 86 and indirectly the jaw members 75 and 16 is developed thru a hydro-pneumatic arrangement in which a liquid such as water is supplied thru the flexible tube 93. This tube is connected to the bottom of the power cylinder 94 which is normally filled with water preferably containing a lubricant to such To this end I have provided an extent that when the piston is in its outward extreme travel there will still be some liquid left in cylinder 94. Pressure is applied to the liquid from a high'pressure gas tank 95. This pressure is controllable thru suitable valves as indicated in Figure 4 and the pressure is recorded on a pressure gauge 96; When it is desirable to release the jaws the valve in the line to flask 96 is closed and valve 91 open. This provides an escape for-the gas now under considerable pressure to the outside. In this connection it is desirable to point out that it is necessary that the normal pressure of the water be exerted against the inner or rod end of piston 86, so that the gas can be expelled-outthru valves 91 against the water pressure by the action of spring 88, it being unnecessary for spring 88 to overcome any hydraulic pressure.

In Figure 11, I have shown in a fragmentary view additional jaws which may be secured to jaw members 15 and 16. These consist of normally metal members which are bent at right angles to the normal plane of jaws 15 and I6 as indicated in Figure 11 so as to provide the jaws at 98 and 89 which are very useful performing some functions not possible with the other Jaws.

Method of operation The diving chamber is normally lowered by cable i6 and after being lowered is guided to the desired position by means of the plurality of maneuvering lines 20. These maneuvering lines are attached to the floating ring H which in turn can be revolved by means of hand lever )2. This lever is constructed along the order of lever 52 in that it is a ratchet arrangement that is operatable in either direction. By operating this lever it is possible for the workman to revolve the bell with respect to the maneuvering lines and thus place the mechanical arms in the most advantageous position for the salvage operation. The operator then maneuvers the mechanical arms by the various controls cited until he is able to engage those items-necessary in the completion of his salvage work. In constructing such a mechanism as this it is necessary for the builder to bear in mind that extreme depths are to be encountered which means very high hydraulic pressure and it is essential that the various arms be constructed so that the water can circulate around and thru them to the end that no binding of the various parts will occur thru any pressure being able to press any of the parts tightly together.

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are believed to clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes in the invention may be made as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:--

1. The combination with a submarine vessel. of a non-rotatable main, tubular arm, a power shaft journaled in the vessel and a tubular control shaft surrounding the power shaft and journaled in the vessel, said arm having a rigid connection with the tubular shaft exterior of the vessel and a pivotal bearing on the power shalt whereby the arm may swing in a plane parallel with the vertical axis of the vessel, means for turning the tubular shaft and means for turning the power shaft, a forearm pivoted on the main arm and a segmental rack rigid with the forearm, a counter shaft journaled in the main shaft, transmission gears between the power shaft and the countershaft, and a pinion on the countershaft engaging said segmental rack.

2. The combination with a submarine vessel, a non-rotatable main tubular arm adapted to swing in a plane parallel with the vertical axis of the vessel, 9. power shaft arranged transversely of the arm and joumaled in the vessel and a tubular control shaft surrounding the power shaft and Journaled in the vessel, said arm having a rigid connection with the tubular shaft and a bearingv on the power shaft, separate means for turning said shafts, a tubular forearm having a clamping jaw at its free end, a pivotal connection between the forearm and the main arm whereby the former may be swung in a vertical plane, a counter-shaft Journaled in the main arm and a gear couple between said shaft and the power shaft, 2. segmental rack on the forearm and a pinion on the countershaft engaging said rack, and means for operating said clamping law.

'3. The combination with a non-rotatable arm having a head at its free end, a pair of laws pivoted in said head, and intermeshing gears on said jaws, of lever plates on said jaws and a spring tending to close the free ends of said plates, anti-friction rollers journaled in the free ends of the plates, a wedge shaped spreader engaging said rollers, and means for reciprocating the spreader.

4. The combination with an arm having a head at its free end, a pair of laws pivoted in said head, inter-meshing rack gears on said jaws, and a spring tending to open the jaws, a pair of plates rigid with the jaws and anti-friction rollers journaled at the free ends of the plates, 8. reciprocable, wedge-shaped cam mounted on the arm and engaging said rollers, means for retracting said cam, and means for projecting said cam to close the Jaws.

5. The combination with a tubular arm having a head at its free end, a pair of spring-opened Jaws pivoted in said head and co-acting pivotal devices on said jaws, of a pair of plates rigid with the jaws and anti-friction rollers journaled therein, a recipmcable wedge-shaped cam engaging said rollers and mounted in the arm, a motive fluid cylinder mounted in the tubular arm and means for supplying motive fluid apiston in the cylinder and a piston rod connecting said 8. The combination with a tubular arm having a head at its free end, a pair of spring-opened jaws pivoted in said head, intermeshing rack gears on said jaws, spreader plates mounted on said jaws, and anti-friction rollers Journaled in the free ends of said plates, of a, reciprocable wedge shaped cam mounted in the arm and engaging, said rollers, a motive fluid cylinder mounted in the tubular arm and a motive fluid supply thereto, a piston in the cylinder adapted to receive fluid pressure at one side thereof and a retracting spring at the other side of the piston, and a piston rod connecting the piston and the cam.

7. In submarine apparatus, the combination with a vessel-support and a relatively revolvable vessel, of a non-rotatable main arm having an exterior pivot on the vessel and adapted to swing in a plane parallel with the vertical axis of the vessel, means within the vessel for swinging said arm, a forearm revolvably mounted on the main arm to turn on its longitudinal axis, a pivotal connection between said arms to permit the forearm to swing in a vertical plane, clamping jaws at the free end of the forearm, and means for operating said jaws. 2a

8. The combination in a submarine vessel with an outer tubular control shaft and means for turning said shaft and a main arm fixed to said shaft to turn in a plane parallel with the vertical axis of the vessel, of a head journaled to turn on 30 its axis in said main arm and a forearm pivoted in said head, an inner tubular shaft and means actuated thereby to swing said forearm on its pivot, a solid shaft within the inner shaft, and

means actuated by the last shaft to revolve the 35 head and forearm with relation to the main arm. 9. The combination in a'submarine vessel with an outer tubular control shaft and means for turning said shaft, 9. frame fixed to said shaft. and a tubular main arm fixed to the frame to swing in a plane parallel with the vertical axis of the vessel, a head mounted on the free end of the main arm to rotate on the longitudinal axis of the main arm, a forearm pivoted in said head, an inner tubular shaft, a countershaft journaled in the main arm and a gear couple between said shaft and the inner tubular shaft, 9. gear mounted between the head and pivoted forearm and a pinion on the countershaft engaging said gear, a shaft within the inner tubular shaft, a gearring mounted the head, a gear shaft supported onthe main arm and a gear-couple between said s haitwlthin the inner tubular shaft, and a pinionthe gear shaft engaging said gear ring. EUGENE J. ROMANO. 

